Lesley Harris knew she could get more out of her career with a degree, but more than that, she had a burning desire to finish what she had barely started.
Lesley (Chapa) Harris’ start to college wasn’t exactly smooth. Even though it appeared she had the perfect small-town West Texas high school experience – cheerleader, honor society, tennis, saxophone player, and drum major – her family life had become tumultuous, with her parents divorcing sometime around her sophomore year. Running away to college in the big city of San Antonio to get away from it all – being young, just thinking she knew better than everybody else – seemed like a good idea at the time to the first-generation student.
However, without a support system, the 18-year-old lasted one semester before she returned home to some who were disappointed and had expected more from her. She expected more from herself. That sting stayed with her, and she never lost the desire to get that diploma.
This May, after almost 20 years of feeling like she woulda, coulda, shoulda done more, followed by an additional four years of quiet – almost hidden – determination, Lesley crossed the stage summa cum laude with Texas Tech Online’s Bachelor of Business Administration in General Business (OBBA) through the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business. She graduated less than a week before turning 42, showing the world – and herself – she really could achieve what she wanted all along.
“I just hated it (not finishing),” Lesley said with a mix of disappointment and anger. “It always felt like everybody around me had a college degree.
“I felt like every situation or scenario that I was in, especially when it came to the workplace, it’s like, ‘Oh, where’d you go to school?’ They’re not asking what high school you went to, they want to know what university you graduated from, and so I would just always pray that the subject would change before it got to me. Because it was embarrassing.”
After returning home, Lesley went to work for her family-owned business, The Dixie Dog, a successful restaurant in Tahoka at the time, just half an hour south of Lubbock. She eventually got part-time administrative work with the City of Lubbock, leading to full-time and then transferring to office work at the city’s police academy. She was making inroads into a career in business administration she didn’t know she was building. Another opportunity, at an insurance company, led Lesley to her adjuster’s license and doing worker’s compensation, which took up more time in her life than she was willing to give.
Not only did she find another job – this time at a computer and IT services company – she also met Scott Harris, whom she would later marry. Scott is a Red Raider, earning both his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in physics from Texas Tech.
But it was one more uncomfortable conversation about everyone’s college experiences that provoked the 38-year-old to make that one the very last.
“I was working in the accounting department for an agriculture lender and insurance company, and we had auditors in,” Lesley recalled. “We went to lunch one day, and everyone started talking about their college days. I had nothing to contribute, so I just sat there, quiet.
“I came home that evening and told Scott it was time, and I started researching. Two months later I was driving to South Plains College at Reese Center for my first day of class.”
As hopeful as she was, Lesley told no one. She didn’t want something to go haywire and disappoint herself or others again, so she waited. She continued to work full-time and went to class.
It wasn’t until she enrolled at Texas Tech as a junior – now around 40 – that she finally shared the news with family and others that she, in fact, was going to finish her degree.
Lesley loved working as an agent, but that wasn’t enough for her. To her, insurance was not just about selling, but more about educating the purchasers about policies and training the agents selling them. She knew a business degree could open doors.
“There really are not many places to move up unless you have a degree,” Lesley explained. “Aside from my personal desire to complete that, whether it's HR or just managing an agency, it would be a step up to working on the company instead of in the company.
“And here I am, with a degree in business. It’s awesome.”
Mary Frances Weatherly is an associate professor of practice in Marketing & Supply Chain Management at the Rawls College and the OBBA faculty director. She had Lesley in two courses, one of which was Lesley’s favorite, MKT 4350 (Personal Selling).
The class lessons were immediately applicable to Lesley’s job.
Weatherly says many of the college’s OBBA students are balancing careers, families and community commitments while pursuing their degrees, and that for many, earning a degree represents both the fulfillment of a long-term personal goal and a strategic investment in their future.
Continually impressed by the perspective they bring to the classroom, Weatherly notes their ability to connect what they’re learning to their everyday work experiences. She says students like Lesley embody that spirit.
“Lesley maintained a 4.0 GPA while balancing the demands of a full-time career and consistently produced thoughtful, high-quality work,” Weatherly said. “What made her especially memorable was how much she valued feedback and took pride in doing her best.
“When a last-minute challenge threatened a major role play assignment in my Marketing 4350 course, she didn’t let it derail her progress. Instead, she found a creative solution, recruiting her husband to help complete the project after her assigned partner withdrew. The fact that they recorded the assignment on their anniversary makes the story even more memorable. It was a perfect example of the perseverance and problem-solving mindset that contributed to her success.”
Lesley says she never felt more accomplished than when she submitted her final assignments. She remembers being “scared to death” when she first started.
“The hardest part about going back was starting,” she said, exhaling heavily, seemingly releasing the stress. “The very first day of classes I cried because I was terrified. When I went to school in 2002, we still used pencil and paper.”
Having a Texas Tech advisor tell her, ‘Absolutely, it’s possible,’ is all she needed. That one little nudge, to say “It’s OK, you’ve got this.”
“If you’re thinking about going back to school, Texas Tech Online makes everything as flexible as you need it to be,” Lesley said, a bit teary-eyed. “You have people who will support you. You have the resources that you need.
“And at the end of the day, you’re the one who’s going to have the degree. You just have to get there, show up and complete it.”
Learn more about the Texas Tech Online Bachelor of Business Administration in General Business.
